Obituary of Bertha M. Alt

A service of remembrance for Bertha Hughes Alt will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 15, at Oaknoll Retirement Residence. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Sunday, November 16, at the Welsh Church, Iowa City. The Reverends Jerry Stevenson and Carlton Bauer will officiate. Bertha, 94, of 701 Oaknoll Drive, died Saturday, November 8, at her residence. She donated her body to The University of Iowa Anatomy Department. Memorial donations may be given to Oaknoll Retirement Residence, Welsh Church, or a charity of the donor’s choice. Bertha was born on August 8, 1909, on the Hughes farm in rural Johnson County, daughter of Walter and Emma Meer Hughes. She married Oren Alt on May 2, 1947, in Iowa City. Bertha received a B.S. in commerce from the University of Iowa and in 1938 earned a degree in library science from the University of Illinois. She was a cataloguer at Utah State University at Logan, Utah, and later held a similar position at The University of Iowa library for many years. Both Bertha and her husband Oren were avid Iowa sports fans. She was a member of Phi Mu sorority, Johnson County I Club, the Johnson County Izaak Walton League, the Welsh Missionary Society, a life member of the Iowa Alumni Association, a 72-year member of Corona Chapter Order of the Eastern Star and Past Matrons of Eastern Star. She is survived by her nephew James Hughes (Carol Roland) of Des Moines and sons, Jeffrey Hughes of Germany and Russell Hughes of Iowa City; her nephew Gary Hughes of Iowa City; her niece Carolyn Smith (James H.) of Iowa City and sons, Kevin Smith (Heather and their daughter Elizabeth) of Cedar Rapids and Gregory Smith (Randi) of Rochester, Minnesota; and her niece Karen Hughes (John R.) of Iowa City and daughters, Emily Hughes (John) of Iowa City and Amy Hughes of Missoula, Montana. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews on the Alt side of the family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Oren Alt (who passed away on March 25, 1991); her brothers, Cecil Hughes and Walter Hughes; her sister, Mildred Hughes Bayer; and her nephew, John R. Hughes.